Page:Christianity in China, Tartary, and Thibet Volume I.djvu/417

405 LETTER TO THE TOTE. 405 The letter of the Alain Christians was as follows : " In the power of Almighty God, and in honour of our Lord the Emperor. " We Fodein Jovens, Chatik, &c, bowing our heads to the ground, and kissing the feet of our Holy Father, salute him, and beg for his grace and benediction, and that he will make mention of us in his holy prayers, — and always remember us. " We inform your Holiness, that for this long time we have been enlightened by the Catholic faith, go- verned with wisdom, and abundantly comforted by your legate the brother John (of Monte Corvino), a man holy, mighty, and well instructed, who died more than eight years ago. Since then we have been without a pastor, and without spiritual consolation. We have heard that you have sent us another legate, but he has not yet arrived, and we therefore supplicate your Holi- ness to give us a wise, good, and well instructed pastor, who may take the charge of our souls. Let him come as soon as may be, for we are a flock without a head and without a guide. " We entreat your Holiness to reply graciously to our Lord the Emperor, and to open, as he demands, a sure and convenient way of communication for frequent messages between you and him, in order to draw closer the bonds of amity between you. Should you do so, it will be of great service for the saving of souls and the by means of a denary and duodenary cycle, to which they give the names of animals. Bergeron, who was ignorant of this practice, imagined that a rat had happened to be the first object that the em- peror saw on the new year's day, and that the year was thence so called. vv 3